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The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

The student news site of The Harker School.

Harker Aquila

Student composers express musical dreams through song

Student composers express musical dreams through song

by Suhani Gupta and Young Min November 22, 2024

With the many different elements of songwriting, creating a song may seem like a daunting task. The average popular song contains instrumentation, a vocal line and lyrics, all three of which take significant...

Meet your staff: Musicality meets mathematics

Meet your staff: Musicality meets mathematics

by Jonathan Xue, Humans of Harker Editor-in-Chief October 17, 2024

Listen to a violin sonata for long enough, and you might just hear an unexpected motif — Fibonacci. In notes, chords and arpeggios alike, the golden ratio dictates classical harmony, interweaving...

So you wanna be a concert cellist?

So you wanna be a concert cellist?

by Young Min and Chelsea Xie October 11, 2024

Majestic white feathers. An elegant swoop of the neck. With each graceful stroke of her bow, Sara Hong evokes an image of a serene swan, mimicking its delicate, melancholy movements with effortless...

Percussionists Cesar Bacaro and Jafet Perez laugh as they sing together. While The Tropicales are an instrumental jazz group, all members of the band sang throughout the night.

The Tropicales brings Caribbean music to Concert Series

by Suhani Gupta and Cynthia Xie September 19, 2024

A smooth trombone melody floats through the theater, intertwining with the rich sound of a saxophone in a playful call-and-response pattern. Drums and bass kick in, immersing the audience in the upbeat...

Music Monday is a new installation featuring a different category of songs on a weekly basis.

Music Monday: Forge through finals with traditional Chinese music

by Mendy Mao, Co-Features Editor May 27, 2024

Music Monday features a different category of songs on a weekly basis. Each Monday, Harker Aquila will release seven songs, one song for each day of the week. As students cram for finals, barely-suppressed...

Meet your staff: Spreading smiles through song

Meet your staff: Spreading smiles through song

by Charlize Wang, Aquila Co-Managing Editor May 9, 2024

Music holds meaning. For some, it’s a source of energy. For others, it’s an escape from the raucous rhythm of reality. And for history teacher Dr. Witschorik, it’s a beacon of positivity where...

Rae Ann Prado stretches skyward during her dance. She co-founded Aztec dance group Calpulli Ocelocihuatl in 2023. (Provided by Rae Ann Prado)

Meet your staff: Revive the past

by Kairui Sun, Photo Editor April 26, 2024

Silence. A few taps on the keyboard, a click and another silent pause. Suddenly, the door swings open and a student enters, rushing into the college counseling office. As they check in, the woman at the...

Nicki Minaj performs at her Pink Friday 2 Tour, smoke and smotlights lighting up the stage. The concert had a setlist of 36 tracks with songs from all of her albums. (Provided by Ie-Chen Cheng)

Nicki Minaj brings the heat at Pink Friday 2 tour opener

by Ashley Mo, Assistant STEM Editor March 24, 2024

Hot pink spotlights. Drums clashing. The stadium erupts in cheers as the iconic opening of “I’m The Best” fills the air while flashes of white light dance to the synth beat. Rapper and singer Nicki...

Tap Club members learn the Shim Sham, a classic tap routine. The Shim Sham was first introduced by tap dancers Willie Bryant and Leonard Reed in 1928.

Tapping into tradition: Tap Club explores Shim Sham

by Ashley Mo, Assistant STEM Editor February 28, 2024

Tap Club president Sanaa Bhorkar (11) introduced four members to a tap combination called the Shim Sham in the dance room on Thursday during long lunch.  Sanaa started off by going over the basic steps,...

Anwen Hao (11) celebrates his "Best exit for a ballet dance" Hoscar. 40 students performed in the 12th annual Hoscars on Feb. 8.

From comedy to K-pop: Annual Hoscars shows off student talent

by Tiffany Zhu, Mendy Mao, and Emma Milner February 23, 2024

Best four-person co-ed dance to Rihanna. Best and largest gossip session. Best rap song. Best exit for a ballet dance. Best original song and best person on the piano. The “I love Barbie award.” Where...

Mindy Truong rehearses before her recital at Santa Clara University on Jan. 28. Her dream is to play Rachmaninoff's "Piano Concerto No. 3" with a professional orchestra.

Harmonize piece by piece

by Alison Yang, Co-A&E/Lifestyle Editor February 6, 2024

A piano’s action is the ultimate translation: from composer through pianist through keys through hammer to note. Each iteration represents a deposit of personality, an augmentation of collective expression....

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